Xtreme swaybar installed on a Syclone

[canadian]

Have to say that the GM design is 100x better than anything I've seen out there and this will work with the BellTech lowered leaf springs. Haven't driven the truck, so I can't comment on it's new feel:

Here's a quick write up of the Xtreme swaybar on a Syclone. A
Typhoon *should* be the same, but I can't confirm it 100%.

Parts
-----

* Xtreme swaybar setup, which should include:
* Swaybar (qty 1)
* Shock tower mounting brackets (qty 2)
* Swaybar endlink dogbones (qty 2)
* Grade 8 bolt, nut, lockwasher (qty 6 each)
* Axle mounts, u-bolts and pads (qty 2)
* Bushings (I used ES P/N 9.5158RC, qty 1)

Tools
-----
* Quality 3/8 drill bit
* 90* drill adapter
* Stubby 15mm wrench

I started off by jacking up the rear of the truck and putting it
on some jackstands and then supporting the rear "pumpkin" with the
jack while I did all the work.

The first step was to remove the shocks on both sides to gain access
to the mounting pads that the upper dogbone mounting brackets would be
attached to. The mounts come from GM with a threaded hole to screw
the bolts into, but it looked kinda wimpy so I drilled them out to
accept a grade 8 3/8" bolt.

(mounting brackets are labeled "A", mounting bolts are labeled "B"
in the pictures)

The mounting brackets have one hole on the bottom where it attaches
to the bottom channel of the frame, and two holes on the back that
will attach to the rear upright of the shock tower mount. The problem
here is that you can't get a straight shot at drilling the holes
because the drill won't fit in the shock tower, and the rear frame
brace runs directly behind the shock tower so you can't come in from
the back either.

I went to Lowe's to find a 90* drill bit adapter, but couldn't find
anything there, so I stopped by Harbor Freight and for $9.99 I had
what I needed. I used a pair of vice grips to hold the mount in place
while I drilled the back holes. After drilling a hole I'd put the
bolt in and tighten it down to help keep things in the right spot
while the next hole was being drilled.

Once the two rear bolts were done, I went to drill the bottom hole
and found out that the Belltech lowered leaf springs didn't give me
enough room to get the drill in there, so I ended up dropping the
leaf spring to make it easier (also gave me the chance to cut the
u-bolts to the right length).

I made a carboard template of the mounting bracket and put that on
the bottom of the frame rail so I knew where to drill the hole. No
problems there. The drivers side is a little trickier because the
rear mounting surface doesn't extend all the way to the inner channel
of the frame rail because a wiring harness runs through there. Just
be cautious when drilling as you might end up going too far inboard
and end up with a "C" shaped hole instead of an "O" shaped one.

Once the brackets are in place, the hard part is done. Don't put the
shocks back on yet. It's a pain to get the bolts into the top hole
of the mounting bracket if the shocks are installed. The swaybar I
bought off ebay had all the nuts and bolts to those are what I used,
and YMMV. I fed the bolt in through the backside and used a 15mm
stubby wrench to hold it while I tightened down the nut. I left it
a little loose so it could move once the truck was on the ground and
everything settled.

Reinstall the shocks and attach the swaybar to the rear axle and bolt
everything back up, but don't tighten it all down yet. Let the truck
down off the jackstands and once you're happy with the way things look,
tighten it all up.

[edit 2008/03/22 - WB - sorry, no thumbnails any more. i'm lucky i managed to find the originals after the server move and hard drive crash]

http://www.warrenbowley.com/syclone/swaybar.zip
http://www.warrenbowley.com/syclone/drill.jpg
http://www.warrenbowley.com/syclone/endlink_1.jpg
http://www.warrenbowley.com/syclone/endlink_2.jpg
http://www.warrenbowley.com/syclone/endlink_3.jpg
http://www.warrenbowley.com/syclone/endlink_4.jpg
http://www.warrenbowley.com/syclone/mount_1.jpg
http://www.warrenbowley.com/syclone/mount_2.jpg
http://www.warrenbowley.com/syclone/space_1.jpg
http://www.warrenbowley.com/syclone/space_2.jpg
http://www.warrenbowley.com/syclone/installed.jpg

 

[Syborg Twin Turbo]

Very Nice Set Up you did and this is one of those post that should go into the Perm Archive

Just an FYI - You could have bought the Hotchkiss Setup as it is exactly the same and it is set up for a 2" drop. I bought one for the Marlboro and have yet to install it.

Price was around $300

 

[canadian]

Just checked out their website and found the following:

http://www.hotchkis.net/cgi-bin/EDCstore.pl?user_action=detail&catalogno=2225

Says for a 3" drop, but would work in the belltech leaf springs. You can see the difference in the dogbones in this picture:

I could cut and reweld the ones on the truck now to be around that height, but I'll have to see how it handles now. The only other drawback to their kit is the price at $535.95

I picked up my complete swaybar with all the parts listed (except for the ES bushings) for $125 on eBay, brand new, never installed. That's on par with all the aftermarket swaybar kits that won't work with the dropped springs.

The other issue is the endlinks most kits use. They're pretty much a long thin bolt within a metal sleeve. I've seen several of these bend due to the angle they get installed at, and they tend to hit the leaf springs. My old emergency brake cables could attest to that as the sheath got worn away. I have also witnessed those endlinks chip away at a set of fiberglass leaf springs. Not good.

If you have the money, go with the Hotchkis kit. Looks like a quality kit. But if you're doing it on a budget, start searching eBay and see what you come up with for the GM kit.

 

[HotRodV6]

Yeah the Hotchkis sway bar set is definatly the best out there, but the factory GM ZQ8/xtreme sway bars are very nice also and will bolt right up to the older trucks and blazers with minimal mods.

Ill be watching to see how they work when compared with some of the other aftrmarket bars out there.

 

[canadian]

after having the addco and seeing this bar, i wouldn't bother with the others unless they have endlinks like this one and the hotchkis. any bar that uses the other style endlinks isn't worth it IMHO.

1) the endlink geometry leads to bent bolts
2) contacts either the leaf spring, or ebrake cable
3) doesn't work with dropped springs

no brainer.

 

[Syborg Twin Turbo]

I hope to install the Hotchkis bar on the Marlboro in the next couple weeks. I'll take a bunch of pics so people can see how it looks.

marty-mj

 

[Stangbeater]

I hope to install the Hotchkis bar on the Marlboro in the next couple weeks. I'll take a bunch of pics so people can see how it looks.

marty-mj

Marty, did you get it installed?

 

[Syborg Twin Turbo]

Nope - i've been working on the GT. I did however get new wheels on the Marlboro.

If anyone want's the Hotchkiss bar i would consider selling it and i just figured out i need another 25 grand to finish the GT.

marty-mj
0334 gt is making me poor

 

[nightdiver]

Well ?

 

[Syborg Twin Turbo]

actually i haven't had much spare time lately. I've been working on the GT. So if anyone is interested the bar is officially 4-sale.

 

[InvisiBill]

Re: Xtreme swaybar installed on a Syclone

Here's a list of all the GM part numbers, if you want to buy everything new or your kit is missing something. This doesn't include the bolts needed to go through the frame to the endlink brackets (what Warren drilled out and used grade 8 bolts and nuts for).

• Rear Sway Bar #15957475 (Qty. 1)
• Bushing #15697706 (Qty. 2)
• Bracket #15697708 (Qty. 2)
• Clamp #15697709 (Qty. 2)
• U Bolt #15152683 (Qty. 2)
• Nut-Hex #11518997 (Qty. 4)
• Link Bolts #11508696 (Qty. 1 pack)
• Link Nuts #10255857 (Qty. 1 pack)
• Link Asm #15697702 (Qty. 2)
• Link Bracket #15989671 (Qty. 1)
• Link Bracket #15989672 (Qty. 1)

This is from http://www.s-10crewcab.com/og1/modinfo/swaybar/swaybar.htm (which has some great pics of the setup too) and http://s-series.org/component/option,com_tech_article/Itemid,/item,61/task,item/. I've put a copy of the first page at http://syclone.invisibill.net/swaybar/ also, with the part numbers updated.

From everything I've read, the Xtreme/ZQ8 rear sway bar is the same as any 4 door Blazer (see http://www.ad-engineering.com/S10PartsInterchanges.html). The pickups and 4DR Blazers mount the bar behind the axle. The pickups use mounting brackets in the shock mount while the 4DR Blazers connect to a bracket mounted on the crossmember. On the 2 door Blazers, the gas tank is in the back so the bar mounts in front of the axle.

The 2DR Blazer bar will work on a Syclone or Typhoon, attaching the bar with third-party endlinks to holes drilled in the frame rather than the stock attachment brackets (not present on first-gen trucks).

The Xtreme/ZQ8 bar will work on a Syclone with the stock attachment. You need to drill bolt holes or weld the brackets to your frame.

The 4DR Blazer bar itself is the same as the Xtreme/ZQ8 bar, but the mounts are different. You need to use Xtreme/ZQ8 mounts or a custom setup.

Mounting Diagrams
Pickup

2 door SUV

 

[canadian]

Re: Xtreme swaybar installed on a Syclone

Thinking back to when I installed this, it would be a *lot* easier to drill the holes in the shock mounts if you remove the bed from a Syclone. I didn't and was on my back trying to get things lined up. If you're doing the install on a Sy, pull the bed and do everything you need to with the bed off (ie: install the sway bar, new fuel pump, clean and paint the frame, etc).

 

[canadian]

Re: Xtreme swaybar installed on a Syclone

Here's a complete setup for an S10:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/REAR...hash=item370065775051&_trksid=p3911.m14.l1318

 

[leadfoot]

Re: Xtreme swaybar installed on a Syclone

Did not see any applications for SY/TY S10 on the Hotchkis website? Did they discontinue it??-or am i retarded?? (Don't answer that)

Installed a Hellwig rear bar last night in the Xtreme. Straightforward, but thier brackets mount to the frame right were there is a rivet for the upper shock towers. -Thought that was stupid, so I have to niche/grind to make clearance. (So it sits flat on the frame).

I guess it is better than no anti-sway bar at all.

 

[Horsehammerr]

Re: Xtreme swaybar installed on a Syclone

Here's a list of all the GM part numbers, if you want to buy everything new or your kit is missing something. This doesn't include the bolts needed to go through the frame to the endlink brackets (what Warren drilled out and used grade 8 bolts and nuts for).

• Rear Sway Bar #15957475 (Qty. 1)
• Bushing #15697706 (Qty. 2)
• Bracket #15697708 (Qty. 2)
• Clamp #15697709 (Qty. 2)
• U Bolt #15152683 (Qty. 2)
• Nut-Hex #11518997 (Qty. 4)
• Link Bolts #11508696 (Qty. 1 pack)
• Link Nuts #10255857 (Qty. 1 pack)
• Link Asm #15697702 (Qty. 2)
• Link Bracket #15989671 (Qty. 1)
• Link Bracket #15989672 (Qty. 1)

This is from http://www.s-10crewcab.com/og1/modinfo/swaybar/swaybar.htm (which has some great pics of the setup too) and http://s-series.org/component/option,com_tech_article/Itemid,/item,61/task,item/. I've put a copy of the first page at http://syclone.invisibill.net/swaybar/ also, with the part numbers updated.

From everything I've read, the Xtreme/ZQ8 rear sway bar is the same as any 4 door Blazer (see http://www.ad-engineering.com/S10PartsInterchanges.html). The pickups and 4DR Blazers mount the bar behind the axle. The pickups use mounting brackets in the shock mount while the 4DR Blazers connect to a bracket mounted on the crossmember. On the 2 door Blazers, the gas tank is in the back so the bar mounts in front of the axle.

The 2DR Blazer bar will work on a Syclone or Typhoon, attaching the bar with third-party endlinks to holes drilled in the frame rather than the stock attachment brackets (not present on first-gen trucks).

The Xtreme/ZQ8 bar will work on a Syclone with the stock attachment. You need to drill bolt holes or weld the brackets to your frame.

The 4DR Blazer bar itself is the same as the Xtreme/ZQ8 bar, but the mounts are different. You need to use Xtreme/ZQ8 mounts or a custom setup.

Mounting Diagrams
Pickup

2 door SUV

I put the ZQ8 sway bar on my '02 Crew cab and was very glad . The big difference in my install is that I mounted it like the Mounting Instructions show it. Straight across the back of the axle, where it is up out of the way. I'm lowered 3 1/2" and my full size spare tire still fits with lots of clearance all around. Major change in handling. Mine came off a Blazer.